For many years now the Australian government's treatment of asylum seekers has been internationally criticised for breaching human rights standards. Despite various forms of local resistance, the situation over the last few decades has only getting progressively worse, with both major political parties offering only slightly different versions of the same cruel policy of deterrence.

Plan2050 looks to inject an image of a desirable alternative into this otherwise bleak political climate. This has involved an attempt to subtly normalise more 'radical' ideas such as an open/no borders policy using the same media techniques that the government already uses. The alternative policy also looks to situate migration and population movement in the context of future challenges such as climate change, including the need for an economic agenda that is socially just and futural (sustainable).

Comments

How does project benefit the client (if there is a client)?
No client. Just us.

How does project benefit the people you are speaking to with your communication?
The project is about presenting an image of an alternative direction that is realistic, necessary, and desirable. It looks to provide people with an idea of how things could be if we had the will to organise for serious political change.

How does project benefit the wider society?
Plan2050 looks to break down normalised conceptions of asylum seeking as an issue. At an internationally level the situation for displaced peoples as a whole requires urgent and long term plans for action. However, in order to facilitate global justice rather than more of the same it is critical that this is done in a mode of empowering people on the move rather than as an act of charity or exploitation. This project is an experiment with what this might look like in a context such as Australia.

How did/does this project benefit author (authors/makers of the project)?
The team that created this project have learned a lot from each other throughout the process, and have also found some satisfaction in doing something a little different within an otherwise bleak situation.

Tell us something about your view on communication. What is your / your organisation's / initiative's (visual) communication philosophy?
Communication is a complex concept. Generally speaking this project has been about finding ways to normalise otherwise marginalised ideas via mainstream communication tactics. We're still waiting to see how effective this has been.
However, it is perhaps the direct communication amongst the team of collaborators that has been the most fulfilling aspect so far. Not only has this increased our own feeling of camaraderie, but it has created the groundwork for further, hopefully more effective projects along similar lines.

What about the process of creating this work? Please describe it.
This work has been a collaboration between a collection activists, researchers, lawyers, designers, and artists. We organise non-hierarchically and in a spirit of discussion, shared learning, and getting shit done. The cross disciplinary nature of the work has enabled people to share and combine expertise, draw upon and link-in different networks, and facilitate a lot of really great discussions about the politics of migration and tactics for acting within the current climate.